Hat manufacture and the products thereof



Jan. 12, 1937. J, MAYLEAS v 2,067,776

HAT MANUFACTURE AND THE PRODUCTS THEREOF Filed Feb. 25, 1935 ZNVENTOR. JOSEPH M. MA YLEAS ATTORNEYI Patented Jan. 12, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HAT MANUFACTURE AND THE PRODUCTS THEREOF 2 Claims.

This invention relates to hat manufacture, and the products thereof.

Although, in particularly describing the invention herein, reference will be made specifically to the manufacture of straw hats, and especially those types worn by women, in which the hat it made from woven thin straw, yet, in certain of its aspects, it will be found that the invention may have application to the manufacture of hats from other materials,

After the blank, produced by weaving the straw-braid or otherwise developing the raw materials for the hat, has been molded to a desired shape, and the form has been trimmed by the operator to define the desired contouring of the brim, there is left a sharp raw edge of undesirable effect. Resort has previously been had to complicated processing to convert this raw edge into a rounded edge of neat appearance for the hat. However, generally there was left, beneath the brim, an undesirable protrusion which, in some cases, had the same cutting properties as the original raw edge.

It is an object of the invention to overcome these deficiencies. By a process in accordance with the invention, hats of the character here set forth are finished easily and simply, and at greatly reduced expense, resulting in a finished product of desirably neat and fine appearance. By such a process, a finishing member is applied to the hat brim in such manner as simultaneously to result in ironing down the hat brim edge to leave a rounded finished contouring for the brim, without any cutting or raw edge formation.

It is an object of the invention to provide, as an article of manufacture, a hat of the type described in which, without stitching or similar operations, there is produced a finished edge of neat appearance, all at a cost favorably related to present-day manufacturing cost.

Other objects of this invention will hereinafter be set forth, or will be apparent from the description and the drawing, in which are illustrated certain features by which the invention may be effectuated.

The invention, however, is not intended to be restricted to any particular construction or arrangement, or to any particular application thereof, or to any specific method of manufacture or manner of use, or to any of various details herein shown and described, as the same may be modified in various particulars or be applied in many varied relations without departing from the spirit and scope of the claimed invention, the features herein illustrated and described being merely to demonstrate the invention.

On the drawing, in which the same reference characters refer to the same parts-throughout, and in which are disclosed such features above referred to:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a hat brim, comprising features in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is an elevational view, illustrating a method of applying protective edging, in accordance with the invention, to the hat brim;

Fig. 3 is an'elevational view, illustrating another method of applying the protective edging; and i Fig. 4 is a vertical, transverse cross-sectional View, on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

While there is here used for illustrative purposes, in connection with the description of the invention, a straw hat [0, it is to be understood that, in certain particular aspects, hats made from other materials, as, for instance, felt, may be the subject of certain of the operations to be described. Hat I0, shown in Fig. 1, includes a hat brim l2 extending from body [4. Edge I6 of brim I2 is shown as folded over and turned under the brim, providing a section l8 disposed beneath body l4. Bridging between and covering over section l8 and the portions of the underface 20 of body I4 immediately contiguous to the section is a strip 22.

By suitable means, this strip may be caused to adhere to both section [8 and body I. For instance, between the strip and the straw of the hat may be a material which assumes adhesive properties, to retain the strip adhering to both section and body, when the hat brim is ironed down. In a specific form of the strip as used herein, a fabric 24, for instance, a ribbed material, prior to application to the hat material, has had a surface 26 thereof coated with a suitable adhesive material 28. In the particular case here described, a material such as gutta percha is used for this purpose, being applied to the fabric in any wellknown manner to remain adhering to the fabric without penetrating therethrough, and so that, as finally processed in accordance with this invention, it will not have penetrated through the strip itself, but will remain disposed at that face in immediate proximity to the hat body and section I8.

To produce a hat with a brim l2, such as here described, the edge of the brim may be molded by hand or otherwise, so that section l8 will be disposed beneath the body, as shown in Fig. 4. To complete this operation, the rough formation must be ironed down so as finally to dispose it in proper relationship to the body of the hat. However, prior to ironing the edge down against the body, a strip 22, of the character just described, is disposed to bridge between section It! and the body at face 20. Then, while the brim is supported on a proper mold, pressure may be brought to bear, with a hot iron 30, as, for instance, against face 32 of the brim body. Heat will be transmitted through the brim body to the strip,

thus causing the applied substance 28 to assume its adhesive properties, and to effect adherence between the strip and the parts against which it is contacted.

If desired, the iron may be'directly pressed against the strip itself. In one relation, at least, eificient operation and a more effective result has been derived from pressing the iron against face 32. In such relation, an effective. result was had from the use of a damp cloth 34, as shown in Fig. 2, disposed over face 32 during the ironing operation, inwhich case the iron travelled over this dampened cloth.

An even more effective and eifioient operation was consummated by the use of a so-called steam iron, that is, an iron 35, as shown in Fig. 3, having openings 33 through its base, by means of which live steam, conducted to the iron, may be'discharged as desired against the surface over which the iron is then passing, thus providing a degree of moisture which, in cooperation with the heat of the iron, results in a proper working of the hat material. For such operation, it was found more advisable that surface 32 rest upon the mold, and that the iron bear directly against section l8, face 20, and strip 22.

The moisture, in either case, in conjunction with a strip 22, especially one having a gutta percha coating, eifeots a result of unexpected importance,

First of all, the fabric of strip 22 is left without any sheen or similar distracting effect. However,

of more importance is the fact that the adherence of the strip to section I8 and body [4 becomes markedly effective under such circumstances. At the same time, and by this same operation, the bent-under section I8 and the hat body are positively ironed to the desired shaping and finish, the covering-over strip 22 being fixed in position, eliminating any of the sharp undesirable effects of free edge l6.

Many other changes could be effected in the particular methods of operation, and the products thereof, set forth, and in specific details thereof, without substantially departing from the invention intended to be defined in the claims, the specific description herein merely complying with the requirements of a disclosure of the elements necessary for a comprehension of the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed as new and useful is:-

1. In the art of hat manufacture wherein, from a crude blank, there has been formed a hat brim, the method of converting the raw edge of the brimto a smoothly finished edge, which comprises the steps of bending. the raw edge of the brim beneath the brim, thereafter applying to the bent raw edge of the brim a strip which assumes adhesive properties upon being subjected to heat, and subjecting the strip and the brim to the action of a hot iron simultaneously to form the brim edge and to cause the strip to adhere to and cover over the raw brim edge.

2. An article of manufacture comprising a brim for a hat, the brim having a free raw edge, the raw edge being turned under the brim, and a strip located and covering over the raw edge of the brim, the strip having in contact with theraw edge an adhesive facing made effective by heat, the strip and the turned-down raw edge being ironed down against the hat brim body so that thestrip covers over and retains, and provides the only means for retaining, the raw edge fiat against the body of the brim.

JOSEPH M. MAYLEAS. 

